Health: More People Expected To Get CT Scans For Lung Cancer
By Stephanie Stahl
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - A surge is expected in the number of people getting CT scans for lung cancer, now that they'll be covered by Medicare and Medicaid. Doctors say it could save thousands of lives.
Ron Goryl is breathing easier after surgery for lung cancer. He was a life long smoker and thought somehow, he'd beat the odds. But on a family vacation to Disney, he developed a cough and had been losing weight.
His doctor recommended a CT scan, which was able to identify a small early stage cancer tumor.
"I was devastated, naturally. You always think it's gonna happen to the other person," Ron said.
More people like Ron will now be able to have CT scans. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Service has decided to cover screenings for former heavy smokers over the age of 55.
"There's an opportunity to save lives," says Dr. Stacey Su -- a Fox Chase surgeon who operates for Crozer-Keystone at Delaware County Memorial Hospital. "A CT scan is to date a proven and accurate way by which to find lung cancers before they're causing the patients any problems but at a stage when they're potentially curable."
Because it's not typically found early, lung cancer is considered especially deadly. There are usually no symptoms. Smokers face a dramatically increased risk of lung cancer, and while private insurance pays for CT screenings, the government didn't until now.
An estimated four-million Americans will now be covered.
"I think it's great," Ron says. I really do. I mean, in my case it was the early detection and the early treatment that saved my life."
Doctors say the downside of CT scans is they could increase the risk of unnecessary biopsies and cause increased anxiety.
Only five-percent of suspicious spots turn out to be lung cancer.
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